The Court Jeweller

Sparkling Royal Jewels From Around the World

This Week in Royal Jewels: September 20-26

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September 20-26, 2019
We’ve got royal tours, royal visits, and even a royal engagement in today’s jewelry review! Don’t forget to vote for your favorites in the poll below!
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15. On Tuesday, Queen Letizia of Spain wore her Chanel diamond star earrings for an event at the Reina Sofia Art Museum in Madrid.

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14. Letizia wore her diamond butterfly earrings and her gold oval ring on Friday for a visit to the CREER Center in Burgos.
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13. Alexandra of Hanover wore modern jewels on Thursday to attend the Chloe Womenswear Spring/Summer 2020 show in Paris.
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12. Also in Paris for fashion week was Princess Sirivannavari of Thailand, who wore a striking pair of (Dior, of course) earrings at the Christian Dior Womenswear Spring/Summer 2020 show.
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11. These turquoise earrings and the coordinating ring from Jennifer Meyer, plus this delicate pendant necklace, have been workhorses in the Duchess of Sussex’s royal tour jewelry wardrobe in South Africa this week. (Much more here!)
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10. Meghan made a statement with gold earrings during an engagement in Cape Town on Wednesday. (Much more here!)
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9. The Duchess of Cambridge sparkled in diamond earrings from Mappin and Webb as she attended the naming ceremony of Britain’s new polar research ship, the RRS Sir David Attenborough, in Birkenhead on Thursday.
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8. On Sunday, Princess Kako of Akishino wore pearls and a charming floral bracelet for a visit to the Benedictine Abbey of Tihany at the Lake of Balaton in Hungary.
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7. Crown Princess Kiko of Japan wore elegant pearls, including a pair of button-style earrings, for Wednesday’s Rugby World Cup match in Kamaishi.
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6. Beautiful black pearl jewelry adorned Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands on Saturday for the commemorations of the 75th anniversary of Operation Market Garden.

5. Meghan borrowed a pair of lovely (and inexpensive!) vintage earrings from a friend for Misha Nonoo’s wedding in Rome on Saturday.
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4. Statement earrings from South African jewelry designer Nina Bosch were Meghan’s accessories of choice for a pair of engagements during this week’s tour. (More here!)

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3. On Wednesday, Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden wore gorgeous diamond earrings from Kreuger during a visit to the Sea Fish Laboratory’s newly christened research boat SVEA.

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2. Jazmin Grace Grimaldi, the eldest child of Prince Albert II of Monaco, wore lovely pearl drop earrings (and perhaps a vintage hair comb?) at the Monaco Better World Forum Gala on Sunday in New York.
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1. Princess Beatrice of York snags the top spot this week with her fantastic diamond engagement ring. (Learn all about it over here!)

Princess Sofia’s Palmette Tiara

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We’re dipping into the Swedish royal vaults for a little sparkle on this Saturday, with a look at a tiara that has proven to be unexpectedly versatile: Princess Sofia’s Palmette Tiara.

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We first saw the tiara in public in June 2015, when Sofia Hellqvist married Prince Carl Philip of Sweden. The tiara was a wedding gift to Sofia from her new parents-in-law, King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden.

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The tiara features petite diamond palmettes set on a slender diamond studded base and interspersed with diamond spikes. Originally, Sofia wore the tiara with a set of emerald toppers. The original setting of the tiara featured a rigid, coronet-style base, which sat perched atop Sofia’s head.

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The Swedish press later reported that Queen Silvia had had one of her own emerald and diamond necklaces, a gift from a Thai prince, dismantled to make the new tiara. Press reports added that Silvia had had the necklace sent back to Thailand to be remade as a tiara, partly to keep it a secret surprise ahead of the wedding day. To my knowledge, we don’t have a picture of Silvia wearing the necklace that was used to make the tiara.

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Sofia wore the original version of her wedding tiara again later the same year, for the annual Nobel Prize ceremony and banquet in December 2015. On that occasion, she paired the tiara with modern diamond and emerald earrings.

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In late November 2017, however, Sofia surprised us all by debuting a completely new arrangement for the tiara. At a gala dinner that month, she wore the tiara without its emerald toppers, and with a new, more halo-shaped base and frame. She wore the new version of the tiara with a new set of pearl toppers a few weeks later for the Nobel Prize festivities in December 2017.

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Here’s a better look at the new arrangement of the tiara, which slopes more gently down the sides of Sofia’s head.

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Sofia also wore the new pearl setting of the tiara for the Nobel Prize festivities in December 2018.

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And in December 2019, she debuted yet another new setting of the tiara, this time featuring turquoise toppers. It’s lovely to see a tiara that can be worn in multiple ways, especially for a princess who is part of a junior branch of the royal family. Because the tiara isn’t one of the grand Bernadotte heirlooms, but rather a new piece made for Sofia, it will be the perfect sparkler to pass down to the wives of her sons for their use one day.

This Week in Royal Jewels: May 3-9

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May 3-9, 2019
It’s been an absolutely incredible week for royal jewels, and we’ve got an appropriately supersized jewel review for you! Don’t forget to vote for your favorites in the poll below!
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30. The Duchess of Sussex wore diamonds, turquoise, and gold to introduce baby Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor to the world on Wednesday. (Much more here!)

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29. During Wednesday’s visit to North Wales, the Duchess of Cambridge wore citrine drops from Kiki McDonough as she explored Newborough Beach. (More on the earrings here!)
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28. Kate wore her diamond and sapphire cluster drop earrings, plus her usual set of rings, as she and William launched the King’s Cup Regatta at Cutty Sark on Tuesday. (More on the earrings here!)
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27. In Munich on Thursday, the Duchess of Cornwall wore some of her favorite diamond and pearl pieces for a trip to the famous Hofbrauhaus.
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26. Queen Mathilde of the Belgians selected silvery statement earrings to attend the Queen Mathilde Awards in Brussels on Thursday.
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25. On Saturday, Princess Astrid of Norway wore pearls and a floral brooch for the state funeral of Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg. (Much more here.)
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24. For World Red Cross Day in Zaragosa on Tuesday, Queen Letizia of Spain wore aventurine and pink quartz earrings from Coolook.
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23. Princess Margriet of the Netherlands wore major blue and gold jewels as she and the Duke of Sussex launched the Invictus Games in The Hague on Thursday.
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22. For Saturday’s state funeral, Queen Sofia of Spain wore golden jewels. (More over here.)
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21. Queen Anne-Marie selected a diamond and pearl butterfly brooch, plus additional pearl jewels, for the state funeral in Luxembourg on Saturday. (More here.)
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20. For Saturday’s state funeral, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark wore modern black and silver jewels with her classic diamond heart brooch. (More here.)
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19. On Sunday, Queen Maxima of the Netherlands wore stacks of bracelets and a brooch in her hair for the annual Liberation Day concert in Amsterdam.
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18. Queen Maxima chose her pink gemstone drop earrings for Thursday’s international health care conference in Amsterdam.
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17. Princess Mikasa wore a sparkling brooch with a pearl sautoir necklace for the first imperial public audience of Emperor Naruhito on Saturday. (More here!)
16. For the imperial audience, Princess Hitachi wore a double strand of pearls with a vibrant wave brooch. (More here!)
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15. Princess Kako of Akishino wore pearls and a delicate bow brooch for her uncle’s first public imperial audience on Saturday. (More here!)
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14. For Saturday’s balcony appearance, Crown Princess Kiko of Japan wore a double strand of pearls and a modern diamond and pearl bow brooch. (More here!)
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13. The Princess Royal wore pearls and her gold and diamond ribbon brooch to remember Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg this weekend. (More here.)
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12. On Saturday, the Duchess of Gloucester wore a pair of circle brooches with pearls for the state funeral of Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg. (More here, with an honorable mention to the Mountbatten jewels behind her.)
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11. Queen Suthida of Thailand wore pearl drop earrings with a pearl station necklace and a royal family order badge on Thursday for the annual royal ploughing ceremony near the Grand Palace in Bangkok.
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10. For a birthday reception for the Queen at the British ambassador’s residence in Berlin on Tuesday, Camilla wore lovely pearl and diamond earrings, plus her pearl necklace with the diamond and amethyst clasp.
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9. Princess Mako of Akishino wore pearls with an intriguing modern diamond and pearl brooch for the imperial appearance at the palace on Saturday. (More here!)
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8. For Saturday’s balcony appearance, Princess Tsuguko of Takamado wore a gorgeous bright blue brooch with a silver-toned necklace. (More here!)
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7. As her husband greeted the public for the first time as emperor, Empress Masako of Japan gleamed in golden pearls and a diamond ribbon brooch. (More here!)
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6. Lady Elizabeth Anson wore a grand diamond floral brooch and a lovely aquamarine ring for the state funeral in Luxembourg on Saturday. (More here.)
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5. Queen Mathilde wore her diamond and pearl brooch with her wedding earrings to honor the memory of Grand Duke Jean on Saturday. (More here.)
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4. For Monday’s Order of Merit luncheon at Windsor Castle, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom wore pearls with the Centenary Rose Brooch. (Read our recent feature on the brooch here!)
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3. Archduchess Marie Astrid of Austria wore family pearls from the Luxembourg vaults, including Grand Duchess Maria Ana’s Pearl Negligee Pendant, for her father’s state funeral on Saturday. (More here.)
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2. On Monday, Princess Sirivannavari of Thailand wore fantastic jewels, including a diamond hair ornament, for her father’s first public audience as a crowned king. (More here!)
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1. For Monday’s balcony appearance in Bangkok, Queen Suthida wore a lovely pair of diamond girandole earrings, plus numerous orders and medals. (More here!)